Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
by gravityneverfalls
Summary: Isabella hasn't talked to Phineas in four years, so when she begins to think of him again it brings them back together.
1. Chapter 1

Isabella stood in front of the school bathroom mirror. It had been years since Phineas had noticed her. She wondered why she now had started thinking about him again.

Her current boyfriend had just broken up with her. He said she'd "changed but not in a good way." She now looked at herself, her jet black hair cut spiky at her shoulders, her black clothes making her appear even more pale than she was. She had changed. And not for the better.

She ran her tongue over her lip piercing and stared into her own dark blue eyes. She saw the sadness she'd been trying to hide all these years, bottled up so long that she didn't even realize why she felt like this anymore. She'd tried to figure it out so many times, but she always ended up back at square one.

She thought on and on about Phineas, and wondered if he too had noticed her change. The thought quickly escaped her mind. Phineas had many better things to occupy his mind with.

She glanced at the clock, took one last look, and walked out of the bathroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Isabella knocked on the door to Vanessa's apartment. They had become friends a while back, when Isabella first became "goth."

When the door opened Isabella went straight to the fridge, pulled out two Cokes and went to sit on the living room couch. Their routine by now.

Vanessa smiled and took the Coke, popping the top with a loud click. Isabella did the same. They clinked their cans together and took a sip.

"So have you seen Ferb lately?" She asked Vanessa. It was so obvious that they liked each other, but with the convenient age difference nothing notable really happened.

Vanessa nodded. "Yeah, but why do you ask? I thought you said you didn't care what happened between us."

"I don't," Isabella said simply. "I was leading up to my question. It's about Phineas."

Vanessa set her Coke on the coffee table in front of them. "You used to like him, right?"

"Yeah," Isabella fiddled with the top of her can. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. . ." She trailed off and was quiet for several seconds, but Vanessa was patient, she had learned. She was ready to listen when you were ready to talk.

"Well, I told you how Buford broke up with me, but since then I can't stop thinking about Phineas. It's like he's everywhere I look, and I haven't even talked to him in four years.

"I keep wondering if he noticed me changing, me becoming a different person. I keep telling myself that he didn't, but I just can't stop thinking about him. It's crazy."

Another thing Isabella had learned: Vanessa was like a sponge. It took her seconds to understand things, no matter how weird or insane.

"Sounds to me like you never stopped liking him in the first place. As soon as your brain was allowed to think about him it did."

Isabella took another sip of her Coke. Was it possible that she still liked Phineas? He was practically a stranger now.

"But I haven't even talked to him in four years. How could I still like him? I mean, I had a boyfriend. He hasn't even crossed my mind until now. . ."

Vanessa crossed her legs underneath herself, hiding her pink socks, the only non-black article of clothing she had on. "Well," she said, "absence makes the heart grow fonder."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day at school Isabella observed Phineas. The way he talked, the way he acted, it was all so normal. She couldn't imagine how her world had shifted an his hadn't.

When the final bell rang she sat on the grass field and watched until he turned the corner at the other end of the street.

_I wonder what would happen if I showed up on his doorstep,_ she thought to herself._ What would his reaction be?_

Isabella walked home slowly, letting her short black hair hang over her eyes. She hadn't slept the previous night. She had laid there, unmoving, thinking. And that's what she was doing now: thinking.

When she finally got to her house she pulled out her key and inserted it into the key whole, but did not turn it. She froze, then, with a jolt, pulled the key back out and walked in the direction of Vanessa's house.

She usually visited her every other day. It was Thursday, an off day, but Isabella was sure that Vanessa wouldn't mind.

She opened the door and stood in the entryway. She heard Vanessa's voice, as well as another deeper one that she couldn't quite make out, but it sounded familiar.

She inched closer to the doorway so she could hear what they were saying.

"-but it's nearly impossible to reverse feelings that have been building up for so long."

Isabella recognized the voice, the unmistakable British accent. It was Ferb Fletcher, Phineas's stepbrother. He had been pursuing her forever, but, like Phineas, she hadn't talked to him in four years.

She turned to leave,opening the door again, but ran in to something-or someone.


	4. Chapter 4

Phineas stood outside the door if Vanessa's apartment.

"Sorry," he began to mutter. "I didn't see you-"

He looked up and caught Isabella's eye. He seemed shocked.

She immediately looked down at her worn sneakers(black ones of course). Just thinking about Phineas gave her so much angst, she couldn't imagine what looking at him would do for her.

"Is that. . . Are you . . . Isabella?"

Her eyes flew up to meet his gaze. Did he actually remember her?

"Wow, I haven't seen you in forever. You've . . ." He looked at her for a second, eyeing her black clothing and her lip piercing, "changed."

Isabella nodded. "Yeah, I have.  
Um. . . What are you doing here?"

Phineas blinked, as if suddenly realizing where he was. "Oh, I was, uh, coming to get Ferb."

"Well he seems in the middle of something right now," Isabella responded, starting out the door. She wanted Phineas to follow her so badly.

She felt his strong hand around her wrist and she let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Where're you going? We haven't seen each other in years. You can't just dart off without at least talking to me."

Phineas wanted to catch up with her, despite her black clothes and lip piercing? She didn't realize getting his attention would be that easy.

Isabella backed up so she was standing next to him. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

Phineas fidgeted with the pocket of his jeans, something he used to do all the time, Isabella remembered.

"How've you been the past four years? What's been happening with you? How's life?"

Isabella didn't know where to start. So much had happened in this time gap, but at the same time nothing at all.

"Not much," she found herself saying.

Phineas raised his eyebrows. "No offense, but this," he gestured to her, "doesn't seem like "not much"."

Isabella chewed at her lip. What was she supposed to say? _Oh, I just realized that all my changes come right back to you, but no big deal?_ She wanted to be honest, but at the same time she didn't want to freak him out.

"Isabella?" He waved a hand in front of her face. "You still here?"

She nodded slowly. "Phineas, I don't know how to put this and not sound weird, but I just realized a few days ago that a part of the reason why I changed so much is because we stopped hanging out. I know it sounds stupid, but ever since that summer when we were ten I've felt different. Like, majorly different. And I'm sorry to spring this on you when we haven't talked for so long, but it's the truth."

There. She said it.

Phineas's mouth hung slightly ajar. Isabella could tell he was trying to keep himself together, but she knew it was a lot. Unlike Vanessa, it took him a while to process things like this. He had always been that way.

"Isabella," he finally managed. "If you wanted to be friends you could've just asked."

She ran her tongue over her lip piercing. "It's not that simple."

Phineas nodded.

"You know now. What's the point?"

He sighed. "Hey Isabella, would you like to be friends?"

She smiled and gave a tiny nod.


	5. Chapter 5

*a few weeks later*

Phineas held himself to it.

Isabella was surprised. He'd taken to walking to school with her each morning, and went the extra mile: eating with her at lunch and stopping to say hi to her in the hallway. She'd forgotten how nice it was to be his friend.

She'd often stop by his house on weekends or after school. They would sit under the tree in the backyard and talk like they had never stopped talking in the first place.

Phineas was easy to talk to; he was one of the two people(the other was Vanessa) that she knew listened to her every word. It's was a nice feeling.

They talked about everything- their earlier friendship, why they stopped taking, how Isabella became "goth" and, once, Vanessa and Ferb's  
"relationship."

Phineas had changed Isabella before without either of them knowing it, but ever since they had started talking again, Isabella could see a good change in both of them.

She'd went to the mall and bought some non-black clothes, and was overall just happier. She could tell Phineas was, too.


	6. Chapter 6

Isabella and Phineas sat under the tree in his backyard. They had been sitting there for a few hours and the sun had began to set.

Isabella pulled her knew dark purple jacket(enough color to be a change but close enough to black so she didn't seem too out of character)tighter around her shoulders.

She felt a prickling sensation in her knee where it leaned against Phineas's.

She hadn't told him that she liked him yet, given that she had just dropped the whole "I've changed because of you" bomb on him.

She instead just leaned her head against his shoulder, like she did on other nights when it started to get particularly late. Phineas, by now, got the signal and a few minutes later they stood and started out the gate to Isabella's house.

When they got to her porch Isabella turned and smiled at Phineas. "I'm really glad we started talking again," she whispered.

Phineas nodded. "Yeah, me too."

He leaned in and kissed Isabella on the cheek, then started back down the driveway.

Isabella's thoughts were running wild in her head. Did that mean he liked her too? _Well,_ she thought to herself, _there's only one way to find out._

"Phineas!" She called, running to catch up with him. He turned and Isabella flung herself at him, pressing her lips to his. She felt Phineas go stiff, then slowly start to kiss back.

When they finally pulled away she smiled, then turned to walk back to her porch, turning again to wave at Phineas before she closed the door.


	7. Chapter 7

When Phineas arrived at Isabella's house to walk her to school the next morning, she was trembling. Not out of fear, but out of shock.

Shock that Phineas actually liked her back after all these years and sudden changes. Shock that she had actually built up enough confidence to kiss him, unsure if what the outcome would be.

She opened her door and glanced at Phineas, then the sidewalk where they had stood last night.

"Ready to go?" He asked in a surprisingly shaky voice. She'd thought that he would've been able to keep himself stable around her._ He must like me more than I thought, _she said to herself.

She felt herself nod and they started down the driveway.

It wasn't long before Phineas's hand found hers. They walked all the way to the school like that, then, to both of their disappointments, awkwardly let go, as they had different first period classes.

Isabella had English first and didn't pay much attention. She kept thinking about the night before. Phineas obviously liked her. He'd probably happily be more than just friends. . .

The bell rang, and Isabella picked up her stuff as quickly as she could, as if it would make the minutes go by faster.

She made her way through another three periods(which to her felt like three days) and it was finally lunch. She found Phineas at their normal table and sat next to him.

"Hey, Isabella," Phineas started. She was already tense. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Uh huh."

"Will you, um. . . Do you wanna go out with me?"

Every single molecule in Isabella's body rejoiced.

"Yes," she answered, surprising herself with her sudden boost if confidence.

Phineas smiled and let out a breath.


	8. Chapter 8

Told you," Vanessa said.

Isabella had recounted the whole scenario that was the last two days to her. She'd never doubted that Phineas would like her back for a second, much unlike Isabella, who was still in shock.

They were siting on the couch, as usual. Isabella was curled up in a ball, hugging her knees, while Vanessa was sprawled out, the huge smile on her face directed at no one in particular.

"What if he leaves me again?" Isabella said, her voice muffled as she leaned her chin against her knees.

Vanessa shook her head. "If he waited this long he's not leaving any time soon."

"What about ever?" Isabella sad after a long pause.

Vanessa laid one of her hands on Isabella's knee and she looked up. "Maybe he won't. Ever."


	9. Chapter 9

Phineas was on her doorstep again the next morning, but something about the routine felt different.

Her and Vanessa's conversation the previous night had really gotten to her. And not in a bad way.

If Phineas was willing to come back to her now after all the years and the awkward encounters, he definitely wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She knew Phineas. He wasn't-isn't- that kind of guy.

She took one last look at herself in the mirror, her confidence coming back.

She greeted Phineas at the door and they began walking, hand in hand like the day before, but still Isabella wasn't nervous.

Maybe it was the fact that his hand was in hers, maybe it was the fact that she was not buried under layers of black clothing(she was wearing a green shirt an blue jeans), but maybe, just maybe, it was because he had managed to change her again.

Him coming back when she had started thinking about him again- it was quite a coincidence, but something told her that it was meant to happen. She had needed to go through that depressing time, and was grateful for it now.

She glanced down at their intertwined fingers and smiled a more sincere smile than she had managed to smile in the last four years. This was it. This was where she was supposed to be.


End file.
